Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images file
Donald Trump is calling on Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley to eliminate the long-standing “blue slip” tradition, branding it a “ridiculous” custom that Democrats will use to block his judicial nominees.
In a fiery post on Truth Social, the president accused Democrats of exploiting the blue slip process a Senate tradition allowing home-state senators to approve or block federal judicial nominees arguing it enables them to reject his picks with “a mere flick of the pen.”
“Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the ‘Blue Slip’ SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED,” Trump wrote.
He added, “He should do this, IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective. The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it’s time that we break it on them. Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!”
The “blue slip” refers to the literal blue form sent to home-state senators to signal approval or disapproval of judicial nominees. The practice has historically encouraged bipartisan cooperation, but it is not a formal rule—meaning the Senate Judiciary Chair has discretion on whether to honor it.
A spokesperson for Grassley responded by highlighting recent bipartisan cooperation on U.S. attorney nominations, saying, “When a nominee comes out of committee all 100 senators have a say on the nomination and part of their consideration is based on the home state senators’ input.”
The spokesperson also noted that Democratic senators like Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Amy Klobuchar, and Tina Smith had signed off on Trump nominees, enabling their movement through the committee.
Despite Trump’s demands, Grassley, 91, signaled no intention of changing course. “I’ve already spoken about the blue slip problem. And I’ve got no more to say than what I’ve been saying for 50 years,” he told Politico.
The push to discard the blue slip tradition comes as Trump looks to reshape the federal judiciary in the event of a second term, but faces potential resistance from Senate norms and bipartisan dynamics.
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